Railway cross-tie.



5s. MIGHAELS.

RAILWAY GROSS TIE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1913.

Patented May 5; 1914.

SQMUELI I (CH I Grime/(3 COLUMBIA PLANOQRAPH (IO-,WASHINGTON, D. c.

SAMUEL MICHAELS, or ILLIOPOLIS, ILLINOIS.

RAILWAY CROSS-TIE.

To ZZ to]; am it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL MIoHAELs,

a citizen of the United States, residing at; llliopohs, 1n the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have Invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Cross- Ties, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. r

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in railway cross ties and more particularly to that form known as composite ties particularly constructed of metal and wood,the object of the present invention being 1 to provide a cross tie of this character which will have all the advantages of the wooden cross tie and to which the track rails may be readily secured in the ordinary manner by the use of spikes.

rlnother object of the invention is the provision of a railway cross tie of the above character which will possess advantages in points of efliciency and durability, is inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time is simple in construction and operation.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top plan view of a railway cross tie constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 3 is a side elevation; and Fig. at is a transverse sectional view.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates my improved metallic cross tie on which the ordinary track rails 2 are secured by means of the spikes 3 in the ordinary manner. The tie 1 comprises a metal body 4: which is of inverted U-shaped construction in cross section and is provided with depending side walls bent outwardly at their lower edges to provide oppositely projecting horizontal flanges 5. The top and the adjacent portions of its side edges are cut away at each end of the tie to provide transverse seats 6 to receive the baseflanges of the track rails 2 which later rest upon supporting and cushioning blocks 7, said blocks being constructed of'wood or any other suitable material, such blocks being of such a length as to extend from the outer ends of the tie to a point thereof beyond the seats specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November '10, 1913.

Patented. May 5, 1914.

Serial No. 800,195.

6. In the edges of the transverse seats 6 are formed suitable notches 8 to receive the spikes 3 which fasten the ties to the blocks 7. The blocks 7 are arranged within the channeled or U-shaped body a of the tie at each end thereof and are retained therein by means of the base plates 9, each of such themselves to form the channeled portions 10 which slidably engage over the outwardly projecting flanges 5 of the tie to securely retain the base plates in position. It is to be observed that by having the plates 9 slidably engaged with the flanges 5 that such plates may be readily applied or removed, as desired, independently of the supporting and cushioning blocks 7 whereby such blocks may be applied in operative position with convenience and facility. From this it will be apparent that the channeled portions of the base plates 9 not only secure said plates in position but permit the removal of the same so that when the blocks 7 are decayed or Worn out they may be quickly and readily removed and replaced by new ones. It will also be perceived that by the construction herein disclosed, the supporting and cushioning blocks 7 can be inserted within the body 4: with convenience and facility, as it will be readily perceived that by the employment of the removable plates 9, such body 4t can be fitted over such blocks with a minimum of time and labor. From this it will be seen that in placing the rails 2 in position, they are first disposed within the seats 6 and the spikes 3 are then driven into the wooden blocks 7 through the notches 8 to securely retain the rails in position upon the ties.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

it will be readily apparent that I have pro vided a simple and durable railway cross tie which is adapted to replace the ordinary wooden tie in use at the present time and is so constructed that the use of bolts, rivets and similar articles of construction are eliminated. The metal parts of my improved railway tie may be constructed at a small expense from metal sheets or plates and will be exceedingly strong and durable- Furthermore, the provision of the supporting and cushioning blocks retain in my improved tie all the features of the ordinary wooden tie and permit the rails to be secured in the ordinary manner by spikes.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be obvious that various changes in the details of construction and in the proportions may be resorted to for successfully carrying my invention into practice without sacrificing any of the novel features or de parting from the scope of the appended claims.

hat I claim is The combination with track rails, of a cross tie having an inverted channeled metal body formed with outwardly projecting base flanges and also formed in its top with transverse rail receiving seats, the edges of the latter having notches, the lower face of the body being normally open, supporting and cushioning blocks arranged in the ends of the channeled body to support the rails in, said seats and extending from the outer ends of the body to a point beyond the seats,

retaining members driven through said notches and into said blocks to retain the rails thereon, and block retaining base plates each of a length substantially equal to the length of a block arranged beneath the blocks and the base flanges of the body, such plates having their side marginal movement of such plates relative to the body, whereby such plates may be removed or applied into operative position as desired independently of the supporting and cushioning blocks.

In testimony whereof I hereunto actlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL MEGHAELS,

Witnesses NELSON DowNmo, B. R. CRrrcHIsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

